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An Amtrak train carrying 267 passengers derailed Sunday in Steilacoom near Chambers Bay on Sunday, prompting a broad emergency response, road closures in the area and a slow evacuation. Joshua Bessexjoshua.bessex@gateline.com

An Amtrak train carrying 267 passengers derailed Sunday in Steilacoom near Chambers Bay on Sunday, prompting a broad emergency response, road closures in the area and a slow evacuation. Joshua Bessexjoshua.bessex@gateline.com

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“Some of the lead cars have up to 1,800 gallons of fuel,” Adams said. “As of right now, there has not been any fuel leakage into the Sound.”

Amtrak issued a statement about 5 p.m. Sunday saying the cause of the derailment was still under investigation. Adams said Amtrak investigators are in charge of the inquiry. The locomotive that derailed is the Amtrak Cascades train, which runs between Vancouver, Canada, and Eugene-Springfield, Oregon.

Pierce Transit buses deployed to the scene evacuated the passengers. Paul Zerfluh was waiting for them. His son was on the train, returning from a trip to Portland with friends.

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“No warning ahead of time, the brakes go on, the car comes to a violent stop." Sean Robinsonsrobinson@thenewstribune.com

“No warning ahead of time, the brakes go on, the car comes to a violent stop,” Zerfluh said, recounting what his son told him. “All of a sudden the realization is they’ve got cars that have broken outside the line of the tracks, and they’re dangling on the rocks, close to the water.”

Zahr Said, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Law, was on the train.

Said reported via Twitter that her husband saw "a cloud of smoke" just before the derailment.

“Chaos over Amtrak train derailment continues but thankfully not much visible injury,” Said tweeted about 3:45 p.m..

She posted later that she saw some people on stretchers “but mainly people are just hot ...”